The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-13

by VIM. r Hornaday, author Of 1.-TWO Years in the
Junge."-Copyrighted.
III.
When we started from Washington on Sept.
20. and our friends asked: How long are you
going TO be goneT we answered: 'We hope TO
get through with our hunt in two months, and
back across the Yellowstone before the billiards.
begin" To their next query: How many
buffalo do you expect to get2' we said: ''Well
we hope to get twenty" with the mental
addition: "And don't wish we may get
themw
In view of the public interest at stake on the
euccess of our undertaking, the officials of the
Pennsylvania, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St
Paul and Northern Pacific railways very kindly
Furnished US free transportation over their re-
fpectve lines. The Secretary of War issued an
,rder to the commanding officer at Fort Keogh
.r1Essting him to furnish our party with such
Asid transportation. camp eauipage and escort
as We might require, consistent with the best
interests of the service" and the Secretary of
the Interior also was kind enough to issue
der IN our interests to all the officers and agents
in his department.
We reached Miles City on Sept. "a and were
met by Irwin Boyd, cowboy whom met in the
spring anu engaged 10 20 Win me aS the IOTe-
man OF my outfit" The weather was fine and
there was not day to be lost. Thanks to the
energy and goodw of the officers at Fort
Keogh there was not an hours delay, and on the
afternoon of the 25th, just thirty six hours after
we stepped off the cars, by dint of lively work
we ready. and at once pulled out across the
Yellowstone for the north side," equipped for
two months in the field. Even then the good
people of Miles City looked upon the undertake
ing of them bug hunters as "a regular wild
goose chase sure to cost great deal and result
in nothing One man had the audacity to say
to Boyd confidentially: 'Look a-here, Boyd.
what's the use of you fellows going up there.
OF course, it's all right for you to make all you
out of the government But there amt any
buffalo I'D there and you know it."
There amt, hey!' said Boyd; ''well, now,
suppose you just wait and see. May be we don't
know what we're mp to, and may be we do"
Each of my three cowboys furnished his own
horse, selected with special care for the hunt.
jos, team for $l35, and hired ranch wagon
and harness at $40 a month. Later on the work
became So terribly wearing on our saddle horses
that hired two from a ranch, and used both
the team horses to ride we'll. There was no
forage of any kind to be furnished up country,
so took 1000 pounds of oats to start with, in
order to feed we'll while we rode hard. From
Fort Keogh we got six mule team to haul our
freight to the hunting ground and with it was
cent an escort consisting of a sergeant and four
mon. An old grizzly campaigner, from Com
pany Of the Fifth Infantry, Patrick McCanpa
by name, was detailed to go with US as cook,
and will always be grateful to the good fortune
that sent us Mack"
1t really seemed to me that the private SOL
diers composing that escort were the most can
tankerous fellows ever had to deal with. The
III =,
about the size Of the load, and when their team
finally pulled out down the street | saw suudry
black bottles waving in the air, which BODIED no
good to me. BY the time the Yellowstone ferry
was reached they gloriousy drunk, all ex-
cept the sergeant and McCanna, and as garrulous
as magpies. Old Joe, the teamster, sat bumped
up on his saddle mule, jerk line in hand, divid-
ing his time equally in jerking the leaders and
"argyin" with the men. The huge ], 800 pound
wagon was piled almost up to the wagon bows
with bags of oats. boxes and bags Of provisions.
tents, bedding and cooking utensils, and perched
high up atop OF all sat the men of the escort
each with rifle in one hand and whisky bottle
in theother.
Two miles north of the ferry the road had
been newly cut, and in one place it lay along the
side of asteep hill Along the lower side the loose
dirt dug from the upper side had been thrown
forming an embankment, and although the
track was narrow, it was plenty wide enough fol
q sober teamster. But it was too much for Ole
Joe. Just as his leaders approached the mos
''argyment" he was having with lone o. them
fellers" on the load, and turned In his saddle te
give his auditor his undivided attention. The
lead mules saw that their hour had come where
in they could get even with the whole outfit fol
the rest of their lives, and slowly and sadly they
pulled off to the left without saying word.
Look out there, Joe! yelled Sergeant Bayliss
''Where are you goingT
Joe came to front face" jerked wildly OF
his lines, and swore at his mules, but it was to,
late. The wheels dropped into the loose dirt
and with mighty lurch over she went. McCan
ia being old campaigner, and on the lookou
jumped off the uphill side. And then. oh
what fall was there. my countrymen! Dowl
went the great pyramid Of freight, 1000 pound
or more; smash went the bows, and a torrent O
bags men. boxes, guns, tin-cans and camp -ket
ties poured out of that huge blue wagon box
and flowed down hill toward the Yellowstone
Slowly and sadly the soldiers pulled themselve
but of the wreck, aud damned the flood whicl
for time bad overwhelmed them. was sorr.
to see that the sergeant was the only one hurt
a spraised ankle-althoueh various complaint
were lodged against certain bags of oats an
boxes of canned goods which had lodged upo
certain backs But it was sight to make tn
toughest traveller weep. To me it was the down
fall of the United States army, and it was no
until Ed Hastings came out to haul us in that
government teams handled SO skillfully a
TO blot out all remembrance of that stupi
send-off.
We camped that night at Chapman's ranch
eight miles from Miles City. and for the first an
only time on the whole trip our cook mad
And no wonder. In the six-mule load chao
reigned supreme, and in the, escort whisky
was dark as pitch, the lantern had bee
,smaahed and nothing could be found save col
Tee and coffee pot. Onr own tent was put W
but the soldiers slept out in the open, and i
the night there came upon us such storm q
wiId aud dust as / wish never to see agar
But the coming of a bright. cold morning cleare
away our annoyances. and we pulled up tn
Sunday creek road. due northwest, all the wa
toward the Tows ranch, on the Big Dry
We had with US as a passenger Mr. Tow hin
eef, who had just returned from disheartenin
trip to Chicago with his fall shipment of cattl,
Owing to the peremptory removal of the cattle